Comments by skags / LJWorld.com

skags

Last login: Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Comment history

Editorial: School excellence

When you rank 178 out of 179 in the national economic rating and you have a less than marginal school system, and your taxes are set to pay for this, which makes your property value poised for lack of appreciation, what do factors can you use to make our town attractive to retirees?

May 2, 2013 at 8:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

School construction projects could begin by April 2014

Interesting observations. Two comments; most kids in Military families have the benefit of attending two or three schools before they get to high school and sometimes a couple of high schools. It provides them with a broader view of the world and makes them more able to accomodate change. The second observation is that if the board wanted to level out the population, they could have done that without spending $92.5 Million. All they needed to do was change the boundaries and utilize the three elementary schools that they have in inventory and the freed up space at McDonald Drive. Therefore, I wouldn't expect to see them take any action to level the population. Good thinking though.

April 24, 2013 at 4:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

School bond issue sails to passage

The voters will get what they deserve, as usual. Will the parents in Quail Run realize that because they couldn't find time to vote, their kids will be going to Sunset Hill, and the Langston Hughes parents may be surprised that because they couldn't make time to vote, their kids will get to cross Wakarusa Blvd. to attend Quail Run. When the teaching staff has to be reduced to provide the additional staff to manage the $92.5 Million in contracts, will they worry about all the empty brand new classrooms? Citizens are supposed to educate themselves and cast votes accordingly. I guess that didn't happen.

April 3, 2013 at 9:23 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Letter: Bond investment

Look closely at what this bond is buying the community. What needs to be done can be accomplished for half the cost. There are facilities that can be used without doubling the size of Sunset Hill and expanding New York and Cordley. There is never any mention of the vacated space at McDonald Drive, or the 80 acres sitting unused on the east side of town. We need to rethink the bond and have it make sense at a reasonable and responsible cost so that there are funds available in the future when new requirements surface.

March 28, 2013 at 8:59 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Public airs questions over $92.5 million school bond issue

They should have spent a small part of the $30 Million unencumbered funds they have on their books to fix Cordley right now. We don't need to be held ransom fo $92.5 Million for 25 years.

March 27, 2013 at 11:41 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Editorial: Bond reservations

Having looked at Cheeseburgers numbers, anyone looking at the allocation of funds for the schools, sees a mismatch, probably caused by myopia. With 4 schools having over $8 million being spent on them, two more getting close to $6 million, and the rest get half as much or less. The major expenditures are in the center of Lawrence. This looks a lot like consolidation, with Sunset Hill receiving 10% of the total bond funds. When asked why the expenditures were this way and existing facilities were not used instead, ie Centennial, East Heights, and Wakarusa, the answer given is that they were just not in the right place. So why is Sunset Hill in the "right place?" The reason, it is to be virtually doubled in size to accommodate more kids from Quail Run, by changing the school's boundary. Strange that they couldn't change boundaries to allow the use of the three unused facilites, at almost no cost. Well the reason must be that they want to relieve the overcrowding at Langston Hughes. This of course would require changing that school's boundaries. I guess when they change those two schools' boundaries they won't call it boundary changing they, will call it redistribution. HMMM Why was the virtual school left out of the bond largess. Because it didn't need any environmental improvement or technological upgrades? HMMM

March 25, 2013 at 10:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Sanburn seeks public engagement on wide range of issues

Seems like Mrs. Sanburn hasn't heard about the successes that Charter Schools are having in other parts of the country. If she was one of the Board Members that thinks that because we can get $92.5 Million, we should take it, then maybe she doesn't understand DEBT either. When you are in DEBT you OWE $$$. It doesn't make any difference what the interest rate is, you still OWE $$$. Hard to understand when we don't need to spend that much and we have an 80 acres piece of land on the east side of town near a future industrial park that we are keeping for a rainy day.

March 22, 2013 at 3:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

School board hires principals, discusses bond plans

It's called blended learning. We currently have a virtual school which uses computer programs as a teaching methodology. This "new" concept just puts the virtual school into the brick and mortar classroom for part of the day, and lets the students palaver together for a third of the time while the teacher teaches another group. Since the kids like to play on computers this is definite win for them.

March 12, 2013 at 5:20 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Letter: Bond support

Amen Gmom55. The task given to Gould Evans was to "... document a development strategy
balancing the many space, land use, academic, and infrastructure needs of the Lawrence School District.." They apparently put on a set of blinders and proceeded to develop a plan to improve the six schools which had been grossly underserved while the football stadiums were being built. They did not notice that there were existing facilities owned by the district which would serve the needs of the children. So they proceed to add $9 Million to Cordley which would give that old school a new cafeteria and around nine extra classrooms while Centennial is two blocks away, virtually unused. They then proceed to add six new classrooms and a cafeteria to New York while East Heights sits vacant less than a mile and a half away. They then added twelve classrooms and a cafeteria to Sunset Hill so that they would have room to move the Quail Run kids into when the west side of town starts filling up and Langston Hughes can't handle everyone. Of course they could have used Wakarusa to relieve the overcrowding in Langston Hughes, which would mean that some of the kids would have a shorter bus ride than they do now, but there blinders couldn't see across the dam. Needless to say there are some valid things outlined in the bond, but just because someone will loan you money, you are not obligated to take it, I don't think. A well managed business does no take out a loan unless they really actually need the money. I guess it would be OK to vote NO.

March 7, 2013 at 12:03 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

Lawrence Chamber endorses school bond proposal

What over crowded school did students go to when Centennial was closed, what over crowded school(S) did students go to when Wakarusa go was closed, and East Hills hasn't been mentioned? The Old School board, with the district's encouragement, called that consolidation, I think.

March 2, 2013 at 8:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

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